State looks to pop bubbles

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20101208state_looks_to_pop_bobbles/State

By Patrick Cassidy / The Cape Cod Times
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 -



The bubble may soon burst for an amusement ride at the Cape Cod Mall.

"They’re just unsafe to my mind," said Massachusetts Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gatzunis about the so-called "walk on water" balls. He is recommending that the devices not be used while state officials develop a law to ban them.

The balls, which stand approximately 6 feet high, are filled with air and a rider is sealed inside while floating in a shallow pool of water for about five minutes.

Concerns about the ride’s safety surfaced last month when a 5-year-old girl fell unconscious while inside one of the balls at the Pump ’n’ Jump in Independence Mall in Kingston. Although the state was already looking at the safety of the balls, the incident spurred a stern warning by Gatzunis released Tuesday.

"I have determined that really the problem is the lack of testing that has been done across the country," he said in an interview with the Times, adding that the inability to monitor air quality inside the balls during their use is a major concern.

Although a Kingston fire official previously told the Times that it did not appear that the ride caused the young girl to pass out, Gatzunis said he spoke to her mother and doctors have found no pre-existing condition or other reason for what occurred.

State public safety officials are working with legislators to ban the balls, but there is no time frame yet on when that might happen, Gatzunis said.

The owner of the Eurobobble operation at the Cape Cod Mall has said testing he commissioned shows air quality inside the balls is safe for more than two hours for an average-sized man.

"I find it absurd that he will tell parents to be afraid without being able to tell them what the risk is," said Yaakov Nadler of New Jersey, who set up Eurobobbles at the Hyannis mall, at the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro and in the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., through a contract with Simon Property Group — New England. "I am confident that the lawmakers will be forced to answer the question, ’What risk?’"

To read the rest of this story, go to www.capecodonline.com ( ????? )
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Damn...sure looks like fun !

I think "Snowflake" just got a bit too excited... Maybe overexerted herself after a Super-size Happy Meal.
The bobbles DO look like fun although a bit short for me. I'd probably do something really stupid, like try for Nantucket...

Cape Cod Mall water ride closes
HYANNIS — The Eurobobble at the Cape Cod Mall has been deflated.

The owner and the local manager of the walk-on-water ride packed up the 6-foot-tall plastic bubbles and shallow pool Thursday after coming to an agreement with mall officials that the ride couldn't stay open in the face of opposition from state public safety officials.

The state focused on the sealed plastic balls after a 5-year-old girl passed out last month while inside a bubble at the Pump 'n' Jump at the Independence Mall in Kingston.
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The State has Officially Made Us Safe! (idiots)

I doubt 'Snowflake' had nothing to eat...
More like 'Snowball' was topped off at the food court and hasn't ever had a bit of exercise.

Last time I ate at McDonalds, I had a Big Mac, small fries, small drink.
I saw a 7-8 year old kid get a Big Mac, Supersized, and polish it off. I'm probably 3 feet taller and 10 pounds heavier than he was.

Gov't says 'water walking balls' are not safe
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 31, 2011



WASHINGTON - The government is warning people to stay out of those giant see-through inflatable spheres known as "water walking balls" because of the risk of suffocation or drowning.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it "does not know of any safe way to use" the products, which are popular at amusement parks, resorts, malls and carnivals. They resemble hamster balls but are large enough for humans.

People climb into the plastic, airtight balls and then roll around — or try to walk — on water in pools, lakes or rivers.

"We want to tell the public how dangerous these products are before someone is killed," said Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the commission. "Our investigation into water walking balls will not stop with today's warning."

The agency is worried about too little oxygen in the balls as well as the buildup of carbon monoxide.

Another concern: the fact that the product has no emergency exit and can be opened only by a person outside of the ball — a serious problem if a person inside the ball experiences distress.

The commission said it is aware of two incidents in which people were hurt.

In the first, a 5-year-old girl in Kingston, passed out last year while inside a ball for a brief time. In the other, a young boy suffered a broken arm when the ball he was in fell out of a shallow above-ground pool onto the hard ground.

After the Kingston incident, the Massachusetts public safety commissioner released a statement strongly discouraging the use of the balls. That in turn led to the eventual shut-down of the Eurobobble operation at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis in December in the face of opposition from state public safety officials.

The balls, CPSC says, could also spring a leak or puncture, raising the drowning risk, especially with young children who can't swim.

Calls to manufacturers such as Eurobungy USA in Miami were not immediately returned.

One company that sells the water balls says on its website that there is enough oxygen to last 30 minutes. It says a ride usually lasts about 7-10 minutes, and that the balls are not dangerous as long as they are used safely.

The commission said it has informed state amusement ride officials of the risks associated with the water walking balls. It is encouraging state officials not to allow the rides.
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